Establishment and Background of Police System with Important Concepts of Policing

Establishment and Background of Police System with Important Concepts of Policing

Idea of Establishing Police System

Sir Robert Peel was considered the pioneer of establishing a police system in the world.  By using his experience in the military of Ireland, he established this organization for;

•      Military and civil control on society
•      To solve the tactical and political problem

The members of this organization were cheaper than a military force (army) and more responsive to the civil authorities. By considering this idea, London Metropolitan Police was established in 1829 as the first urban police organization.

Police System in Pakistan

Police system in Pakistan was inherited from the British India system under the act of 1861. The sole objective of this system was;

• To protect and enlarge the colonial rule in India
•  Keeping the public under strict control and scrutiny
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According to Dr Shoaib Suddle;

Police was nothing except a public frightening organization, not as a public-friendly agency.

Purpose of Police System

Police system was designed at the Irish Constabulary model and it placed police under the control of executive authority through the District Officer (City Police Officer, CPO, District Police Officer (DPO).

It is significant to mention here that Police Act of 1861 was the direct outcome of 1857 mutiny. Primary purpose was

•          To control the natives
•      To prevent the members of police organization from joining the mutineers (rebels) in future.

Word Police

•       Implies arrangements made to make civilized society
•       Means to ensure that the citizens maintain peace and obey the law
•      Denotes the force of peace officers or employed person for such purpose
•      Initially, the system of Police was organized to maintain peace, keep law and order and to control the public.

Democratic Policing

Basic responsibility of Police is the prevention of crimes and maintaining peace. But, this concept is changed now into democratic policing.

Democratic policing means serving the people of the nation, not its regime or government.

Characteristics of Democratic Policing

According to UNO International Police Task Force;

·         Police serves to protect people rather impede or hindrance in their freedoms and fundamental rights

·         Preservation of safe community

·         Application of criminal law equally without favouritism and fear

Community Policing

Partnership and problem solving are equal to community policing.

International Crisis Group summarizes the concepts of policing as;

•     Build positive relations with the community
•     Involving the community in crime control and prevention
•      Solving a problem with the cooperation of community
•      Get benefits from the society’s expertise and resources
•      All organization and agencies including government officials, social agencies, students and labours unions, business, and trading interests share the police’s responsibilities for solving the problems related to the social safety and security.

Community Policing at the Operational Level

·         Good customer service attitude,

·         New techniques to solve problems,

·         Removing a trust deficit among the population,

·         Improving the mandate of police,

·         Partnership of people,

·         Proactive kind of policing and helping the vulnerable,

·         Bond with the governmental agencies.

Requirements for developing community policing

·         Training of police and community,

·         Decentralization in the police system,

·         Establishment of community management teams and formation of medical reserve unit,

·         Devising crime preventive environmental strategy

Conclusion

Police is the backbone of keeping the civic the system in order and keeping peace by maintaining law and order.